In survey, some cite lack of support from administration and say they worry about budget cuts, outdated technology

Some employees at the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development criticized Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in an internal survey Mr. Tillerson commissioned.
Photo:
yuri gripas/Reuters

WASHINGTON—Thousands of State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development employees indicated in a survey they are worried about the future of their agencies, with some expressing particular concern about lack of support from the Trump administration and Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson.

The findings are in a report for Mr. Tillerson compiled by a consulting firm as he embarks on an effort to reorganize the State Department amid steep budget cuts. The Wall Street Journal reviewed a copy of the report, which is to be released to employees on Wednesday.

“I want to reiterate that we began this process with no preconceived notions about the outcome,” Mr. Tillerson will say in a video message accompanying the release of the report, according to a transcript. “Our goal is, and always has been, to address challenges to the way our department operates. Your honesty and candid input is deeply valued as we devote our energy to building a better State Department.”

More From the Study

Many of the more than 35,000 State Department and USAID employees responding to the survey indicated longtime frustration with the way the agencies function, including poor technology and duplicative and redundant processes that make frequent workarounds necessary. They also cited pet projects created by ambassadors and Congress, according to the report reviewed by the Journal.

USAID employees in the report said they are particularly concerned about the consequences of a move to fully absorb USAID into the State Department, which officials are considering.

The report comes as the Trump administration has yet to fill scores of senior State Department positions, which current and former officials say has hampered decision making. The department, which coordinates U.S. diplomatic policy around the world, is contending with threats from North Korea and Russia as it seeks to end long-running wars in the Middle East.

Aides said the critical nature of the results reflects Mr. Tillerson’s willingness to incorporate frank feedback into plans for the State Department.

“The first step in this is to give a platform to people to identify what needs to be fixed, the second stage is to give people a platform to fix it, and the third stage is to implement an improved design,” said
R.C. Hammond,
a senior adviser to Mr. Tillerson.

The report revealed a wariness among employees about the management at the State Department, including existing structures that are perceived as inefficient and the attitudes of the Trump administration.

“People do not speak optimistically about the future,” the report says. “The absence of a clear vision of the future allows room for speculation and rumor about what the future could bring, such as further USAID integration into DOS [Department of State] or the militarization of foreign policy.”

State Department employees indicated to Insigniam that they are concerned both about the Trump administration and about Mr. Tillerson’s leadership.

“People question if these two groups understand the role the Department of State plays in forwarding the interests of the United States in the world,” the report says.

One respondent quoted in the report said: “I am concerned that the dramatic reduction in budget, paired with extended staffing gaps at the most senior level, will result in the loss of not only an exceptionally talented group of people from our ranks, but will hamper our impact to fulfill our mission for decades to come.”

Other than Deputy Secretary of State
John Sullivan,
there are no Senate-confirmed senior political leaders working at the State Department’s headquarters in Washington.

Other themes in the survey included frustration with mechanisms that are supposed to hold employees accountable and outdated technology and structures.

“Whether it be models and policies for family-member participation, or medical leave for pregnancies, or a footprint based on a 20th century Cold War world which has evolved into the 21st century’s war on terror, much of what governs day-to-day work is not fit to purpose,” the report says.

Eliot Cohen, who served as State Department counselor during the
George W. Bush
administration​and is now at Johns Hopkins University, said complaints about the department’s clearance process, bureaucracy and technology are longstanding.

Still, he said, the department’s bureaucracy ranks favorably in assessments of government bureaucracies each year: “I would expect [employees] to be in an incredibly sour mood because of the Trump administration.​If you look at the way [Mr. Tillerson] has dealt with subordinates and the hammering he has taken from the administration...he has an ineffective team.”

Mr. Tillerson is expected to announce Wednesday that Mr. Sullivan will lead a working group to further examine five areas that were highlighted in the report: overseas operations, foreign-assistance programs, technology, staffing and administration.

Those groups will contribute to a report the State Department will submit to the Office of Management and Budget by Sept. 15 about how to reorganize.

State Department and USAID employees were asked to address Mr. Tillerson directly, which they did with varying degrees of seriousness. Some were “highly complimentary,” while others were “coarse and vulgar,” the report said.

“We will be left with only the resources to coordinate among ourselves and write reports,” said one employee, who wasn’t identified in the report. “It will be a short political win over long-term strategy.”

But another compared the State Department workforce to a Labrador retriever: “We want to jump in your lap and will be as loyal as the day is long.”